HBWMA -Chapter 204 The True Heiress Humiliated

Although Fu Sui’er didn’t understand why Jiang Huashan stopped her, she still obediently sat back down.

Jiang Huashan calmly poured her a glass of water. “Don’t worry. Under the cameras, Xiao Lanlan won’t do anything. If Shen Mianzhi doesn’t want to be treated like a maid and ordered around, she can just refuse. There are cameras everywhere here. If you rush in and they twist it with added exaggeration, you won’t gain anything good from it and might even end up bringing trouble on yourself.”

Fu Sui’er understood a little, but there was still hesitation in her eyes.

Jiang Huashan put down her chopsticks. “People who willingly sink themselves aren’t worth saving.”

Shen Guiling glanced at the chopsticks in her hand, pushed his bowl forward by an inch, and silently picked up a wet wipe to clean his mouth.

On the other side, Xiao Lanlan really did as Jiang Huashan said. After handing the items to Shen Mianzhi, she entered work mode. Occasionally, when she drank water or gave minor instructions, it was just harmless ordering around, and Shen Mianzhi didn’t show any resistance either.

Since one was willing and the other was willing to endure, it would look like unnecessary interference for outsiders to step in.

Fu Sui’er watched this and grew increasingly frustrated. She threw down her chopsticks. “Let’s go. Let’s go to the infirmary. I can’t stay here another minute.”

Just as the three of them stood up, Su Yun and a group of students from Decai walked in through the entrance.

Jiang Huashan’s expression shifted slightly, and she sat back down without drawing attention to herself.

Shen Guiling: “……”

The assistant director immediately waved them over. “Perfect timing. You all remembered what I told you this morning, right? Get your state adjusted. We’re aiming for a one-take pass.”

Su Yun and the other girls awkwardly smiled. At first, the production team said it would only be a few simple shots and they would be paid, so they agreed to appear.

But after Xiao Lanlan arrived, she kept nitpicking everything. They weren’t professional actors, and after being pressured all morning, they were already feeling terrible. At this point, they just wanted to quit.

The girls were inexperienced and didn’t know how to refuse under pressure.

Su Yun knew the others were too afraid to speak, so after hesitating for a long time, she walked up to the assistant director and said softly, “Hello, after careful consideration, we feel we can’t meet the filming requirements, so…”

The assistant director frowned and raised his voice to interrupt her. “What do you mean by this? The set, the actors—everything is already arranged. You can’t just say you won’t act anymore. Are you kidding me?”

Su Yun froze. Earlier that morning, when Xiao Lanlan was making things difficult for them, the assistant director had been standing right there watching. How could he say something like that?

The other girls immediately gathered around and spoke up all at once in dissatisfaction.

“We’re just extras. It won’t affect anything if we don’t film!”

“Yes! And you clearly said it would only be a few simple shots. But… this morning, one of our classmates was slapped dozens of times before they stopped…”

The assistant director’s eyelid twitched, and he quickly interrupted again. “This is filming a TV drama. How can you just do things casually? That was for the sake of the storyline and effect. Besides, didn’t the crew also give that student a red envelope? Are you trying to cause trouble now?”

Su Yun said, “We’re not causing trouble. We’re just informing you that we’re not acting anymore.”

Xiao Lanlan folded her arms and walked forward slowly, sizing Su Yun up and down. “You again? What is it now? Are you deliberately picking faults because of what happened to your friend?”

Su Yun lowered her head. “No, we really just can’t act well. We don’t like bullying people.”

Xiao Lanlan let out a cold laugh. “Tch. Who are you mocking?”

Su Yun carefully stepped back half a pace. “That’s not what I meant. We’re still students and have no acting experience, so we don’t really know how to do this. We originally thought we would just sit there as background extras, so that’s why…”

Xiao Lanlan lowered her gaze, looking at her fingertips. “Can’t act as bullies? Then at least you can act as the bullied, right?”

Su Yun forced herself to stay calm. “I’m sorry, Miss Xiao. We don’t want to act.”

“Alright then.” Xiao Lanlan shrugged indifferently and turned to glance at the assistant director.

The assistant director immediately understood and put on an official, businesslike expression.
“Since that’s the case, then compensate us. Our production is a large-scale one. The daily set and staff costs are not small—you’ll split them equally.”

The girls froze, immediately panicking.

“You’re being completely unreasonable. On what grounds?”

The assistant director said coldly, “On what grounds? On the contract you signed this morning.”

Xiao Lanlan wasn’t the first to use filming as a way to humiliate less-established actors. People in the industry who knew her personality avoided her. As long as she was present, supporting female roles would either be cut down to cannon fodder or reduced in styling and presence until they were barely noticeable.

But as her fame grew and her public image became increasingly positive, both her family and her agency worried she might eventually cause a scandal. They strictly forbade her from bullying other actors on set.

Bored during filming, Xiao Lanlan gradually developed the habit of picking on extras instead.

Extras had no backing and no exposure—if they were crushed, it wouldn’t cause any waves. With no consequences, she became even more reckless.

She had resources and traffic, so everyone could only endure it. Some productions even pre-selected extras specifically for her to vent on.

Students like Su Yun and the others were precisely such “toys” the crew had prearranged. The so-called contract was nothing more than a trap set in advance.

The girls were disheartened and, with no other choice, had to continue participating.

The assistant director immediately showed “generosity” and allowed them to change roles.

Xiao Lanlan and the director sat in front of the monitor to observe everyone’s performance.

The scene was simple: Su Yun’s character accidentally dirtied the bully’s designer bag. Since she didn’t dare resist, she had no lines—just had to stand there, endure the scolding, and wait for the female lead to step in and save her.

The actress playing the bully was a newcomer. Though new, her acting was solid, so the scene was completed in one take.

But Xiao Lanlan was not satisfied.

“Director, I think the conflict here could be intensified. Only by amplifying the helplessness of the weak can the female lead’s ‘redemption’ feel meaningful. What do you think?”

The director immediately understood she wanted to add scenes on the spot and exchanged a glance with the assistant director before nodding enthusiastically.

“I was just thinking it was missing something too. So Lanlan, how do you think we should heighten the conflict?”

Xiao Lanlan raised an eyebrow. “You’re the director. Why are you asking me?”

The director chuckled, then turned and gave a commanding order.

“Props team, prepare a bowl of noodle soup. And you—the newcomer—redo the scene. The conflict isn’t strong enough! Later, directly splash the noodle soup onto the girl’s face and force her to apologize.”

The newcomer froze. “Director… should I actually splash it, or just pretend?”

“It’s just a bowl of noodles. What do you mean real or fake?”

Su Yun’s fingertips trembled slightly. She wanted to say something, but when she looked up at the crowd of people before her, she swallowed it back down.

They were all predators—who would truly care about her life or death?